Pendleton, OR (February 18, 2025) – The Wildhorse Foundation, a community fund managed by the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation in partnership with Wildhorse Resort & Casino, announced their grant awards for the fourth quarter of 2024.
A total of 29 organizations were awarded grants this period, in amounts ranging from $1,440 to $30,000, for projects in the areas of Public Health, Public Safety, Arts, Education, Environmental Protection, Historic Preservation, and Cultural Activities. The total amount awarded this quarter was $375,859.
These awards bring the total for Wildhorse Foundation’s 2024 grants to $1,876,128, and the running total for the Wildhorse Foundation’s giving since its establishment in 2001 to over $19 million.
In addition to the quarterly grants, two organizations recently received Rapid Response grants in amounts of less than $1,500. Rapid Response grants are intended for small and immediate needs that surface throughout the year, and funding decisions are made within 30 days from an application’s submission.
Each year, the Wildhorse Foundation makes grants to eligible nonprofit, government, and Tribal organizations within the homeland area of the Cayuse, Umatilla, and Walla Walla people. Also eligible for funding are Tribal government agencies or Native American charitable organizations with their base of operations within Oregon, as well as National or Regional Indian Organizations.
The Wildhorse Foundation has awarded a total of over $19 million in grant funding since its establishment in 2001. Grants are awarded on a quarterly basis with the deadlines being January 1, April 1, July 1, and October 1.
The formation of the Wildhorse Foundation was for the purpose of formalizing the charitable giving on behalf of the CTUIR and Wildhorse Resort & Casino. Every step of the Foundation’s review and decision-making process is geared towards building strong communities and healthy families in our giving area.
Below is the list of organizations and the grant amount awarded to each for the fourth quarter of 2024:
| Organization | Org. Location | Project Name | Awarded |
| American Heart Association | Portland, OR | Building a Community of Lifesavers | $23,470.00 |
| Athena’s Gem, Inc. | Athena, OR | Gem Theatre Final Completion: Stage Audio, Projection and Lighting | $30,000.00 |
| Central Middle School | Milton-Freewater, OR | Central Middle School Advanced Art and STEAM 2025 Overnight Field Trip | $7,615.00 |
| Charity HQ dba First Nations Veterinary | Portland, OR | Umatilla Reservation Free Spay/Neuter Clinic | $14,300.00 |
| College Possible | Portland, OR | College Possible: Navigate College Access Program for Rural High School Students | $5,000.00 |
| Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde | Grand Ronde, OR | Grand Ronde Early Care and Education Art Installation | $30,000.00 |
| Eastern Oregon Regional Arts Council, Inc. (DBA Art Center East) | La Grande, OR | After School Art Program | $15,000.00 |
| Grace Clinic | Kennewick, WA | Women’s Wellness Initiative: Cervical Cancer Screenings and Gynecological Health Support | $15,500.00 |
| Helix Advancement Partnership Network | Helix, OR | Old School Building Renovation | $20,000.00 |
| Irrigon Junior-Senior High School | Irrigon, OR | Portable Radios | $6,172.00 |
| KoosKooskie Commons | Walla Walla, WA | Water Use and Conservation Solutions through Multiple Collaborative Processes in the Walla Walla River Basin | $12,000.00 |
| Made to Thrive | Hermiston, OR | Supporting Access to Participation in Extracurricular Activities for All Youth in Our Rural Communities | $10,000.00 |
| Nixyáawii Community Financial Services | Pendleton, OR | Nápt Tananánwit, Láxs Níšayčt – Two Cultures, One Community Annual Powwow | $12,600.00 |
| Oregon Lions Sight & Hearing Foundation | Portland, OR | OLSHF School Vision Screening Program | $8,000.00 |
| Oregon Livestock Council | Beavercreek, OR | Evacuation & Sheltering POD | $30,000.00 |
| Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) | Portland, OR | Financial Access for STEAM Programming in Wildhorse Service Area | $3,000.00 |
| Oregon TRIO Association | Astoria, OR | OTA: Tech Resources for Low-Income Students in Need | $7,000.00 |
| Page Ahead Children’s Literacy Program | Seattle, WA | Story Leaders | $3,500.00 |
| Partners Inland Northwest | Spokane Valley, WA | Partners Inland Northwest Diaper Bank | $10,000.00 |
| Storm Volleyball Club | Pendleton, OR | Storm Volleyball Club | $2,150.00 |
| Sustainable Living Center | Walla Walla, WA | Farm to School Support for Equitable Programming 2025 | $1,440.00 |
| The Children’s Reading Foundation of the Mid-Columbia | Kennewick, WA | Let’s READ! Mid-Columbia | $8,500.00 |
| Umatilla County District Attorney’s Office | Pendleton, OR | George Murdock Eastern Oregon Regional Child Abuse Conference | $24,172.00 |
| United Way of Benton & Franklin Counties | Kennewick, WA | Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library | $5,000.00 |
| Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 992 | Walla Walla, WA | VFW Building Renovation | $30,000.00 |
| Walla Walla Valley Bands | Walla Walla, WA | New instruments for the Walla Walla Valley Band (Euphonium, Soprano Sax and Percussion) | $7,975.00 |
| Wallowa Land Trust | Enterprise, OR | Support for the 2025 Wallowa Gathering | $7,665.00 |
| Washington Water Trust | Seattle, WA | Restoring Streamflows for Salmon and Steelhead in the Walla Walla Basin | $17,800.00 |
| YMCA | Walla Walla, WA | Athena-Weston Youth Summer Resilience Program | $8,000.00 |
| Total | $375,859.00 |
About the Wildhorse Foundation: The fund reflects the commitment of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation to take a proactive, positive role in the well-being of the community. Funds, derived from a percentage of revenues from Wildhorse Resort & Casino, are managed and distributed by a Board of Directors comprised of community leaders and representatives of the CTUIR.
About the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation
The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation comprises the Cayuse, Umatilla and Walla Walla tribes, formed under the Treaty of 1855 at the Walla Walla Valley. In 1949, the tribes adopted a constitutional form of government to protect, preserve and enhance the reserved treaty rights guaranteed under federal law.